Israelis protesters hold up hands covered in fake blood outside the office of Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, in objection to the release of Arab prisoners to renew the so called peace talks.Photo Credit: Flash90

The ministerial team headed by Defense Minister Moshe (Bogie) Ya’alon, which was trusted with the selection of 26 Palestinian terrorists to be released today, ignored the recommended list submitted by Israel’s security service Shabac (GSS) and replaced some of the names in order to “bolster the prestige of Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas’s nom de guerre),” a senior official in Jerusalem told Ma’ariv.

Tonight Israel is expected to release the first batch of 26 Palestinian prisoners, most of them with Jewish blood on their hands, as part of its commitment to release 104 terrorists captured before the Oslo accords. Fourteen prisoners will be released to the Gaza Strip—even though the PA, with which Israel is negotiating, has no influence at all there—and 12 will end up in Judea and Samaria.

The next release phase is expected to take place in about three months.

The GSS chief submitted to the ministerial team appointed to select the prisoners to be released a list of 40 prisoners who could be released. The two criteria used by the GSS to select the names was their level of danger to the Jewish community, as well as their “prestige” among the Palestinian public, so that their release would bode well for PA Chairman Abbas.

But, according to a high level official involved in the process, the ministers rejected some of the names the GSS suggested. The key consideration the security agency used was how dangerous individual prisoners were, while the ministers insisted on weighing heavily in favor of “big name” terrorists.

It should be noted, however, that the most dangerous terrorists are being held back until the fourth phase of prisoner releases, which should coincide with the actual signing of a final peace agreement, and certainly not this time around.

The first batch, to be released today, Tuesday, include mostly veteran prisoners, who are older, and some of them are quite ill. Eight of the prisoners being released were scheduled to be paroled over the next three years, two of them in six months.

After the Supreme Court has informed the terror victims’ families last week that it would not intervene in what it views as an executive decision, the president is expected to sign the pardons today.

Victims families are outraged today, because some of them have been skipped when government representatives went about informing families that the killer or killers of their loved ones were to be released—a process undertaken universally when a serious offender is about to go free. Some of the families heard only over the radio about the release of the murderers who destroyed their lives.

According to Ma’ariv, Dr. Gila Molcho, whose brother, attorney Ian Sean Feinberg, was murdered in Gaza in 1993 at age 30, was stunned to find out on the Internet that his killer, Abdel-Aal Sayid Ouda Yusef, was being released after having served 20 years.

“No one told us, no one updated us,” Molcho told Ma’ariv. “Unfortunately, we’re used to the fact that no one counts the bereaved families… This family is turning a deaf ear to the feelings of the bereaved families. We are very important on Memorial Day, when everybody talks about us, but at all other times we don’t count.”

“They’re releasing murderers as a gesture,” she added. “These are murderers who will later become leaders, urging more and more people to the path of murder and killing.”

About the Author:Yori Yanover has been a working journalist since age 17, before he enlisted and worked for Ba'Machane Nachal. Since then he has worked for Israel Shelanu, the US supplement of Yedioth, JCN18.com, USAJewish.com, Lubavitch News Service, Arutz 7 (as DJ on the high seas), and the Grand Street News. He has published Dancing and Crying, a colorful and intimate portrait of the last two years in the life of the late Lubavitch Rebbe, (in Hebrew), and
two fun books in English: The Cabalist's Daughter: A Novel of Practical Messianic Redemption, and How Would God REALLY Vote.

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Once I had positive thoughts of what Bogey said, like many. And like many we feel totally fooled by his actions after becoming defence minister. He defends the honor of Abbas, he defends the arab stone throwers against the wild Jews so nothing is allowed to hurt them. He told Barak to stop misbehaving, he is continuing the same thing himself. I almost hope the murders let loose will murder someone important so it comes in the history book, who released them.

They came to us as enemy, they leave as enemy; the oldest and infirm will die before doing more harm, the rest will have to be hunted down again and brought to justice, most likely the justice that comes out the barrel of a gun.

Just what is not being revealed here. This releasing of prisoners looks like a dirty deal from the bottom up and down. What is Abu Mazen giving up? Nothing, what is he getting, more former terrorists who are going to be present day terrorists who have learned too much and now will practice again their dirty craft. No nation in the whole world gives up terrorists that endanger them only Israel. That is called Shigaon l'oomi – National lunacy. So what are we outsiders mssing in this deal.

Yes Eva, what is not being revealed? One's mind speculates however, no feasible answer arises. Killers are killers and Arabs are among the worst, much like the notorious Turks of the first world war. These men are savage, Syria is an example of methods.

The generation of politicians in Israel that are currently in power lost sensibilities of Shoa generation politicians, hence they make mistake after mistake both in assessing Israel's adversaries in Middle East and generally in the world.

I am TRULY befuddled by this 'FIRST of all 'that the president of ISRAEL WOULD AGREE WITH THIS OBVIOUS TACTIC'of stupidity '! Anyone in THEIR right mind COULDE SEE WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE ! THESE CRIMINALS ARE NOT GONNA STOP HATEING AND KILLING JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE SIGNS A PEACE TREATY 'YOU KNOW THEIR JUST LETTING THEM HELP KILL AS MANY AS POSSIBLE SO THEY ( WHOEVER THEY ARE) can come behind them ( they think ) and finish the job! What they don't seem to remember is tbat GOD OUR CREATOR IS THEIR DEFENDER AND HE WILL DEFEND HIS CHOSEN PEOPLE AND DEFEAT the enemy in THEIR stead ! REMEMBER HE DEFENDED THEM IN THE WILDERNESS AND KILLED ALLLL THEIR enemies in the RED SEA, REMEMBER THE EXODUS! H A L E LU J A H ! ! ! !

This is a corrupt, hypocrite, scoundrel, coward goverment which humilliate, disrespect for the terror victims families, it is a shame, I allways I recomended to my doughter to send my grandchildren to IDF, but for what, they should stay in US, very good they are americans, they will grow looking Israel slowly wiped from the map.

notice these prisoners are quite ill and older, doubt if they can live and fight again, to have compassion on one's enemies, is this also not a commandment of the Lord G-d or are we still in the days of "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth" I am sorry for the victims family but more killing isn't going to bring them back to life.

One has to wonder … what terrible pressure the Obama administration is putting on Israel for them to free these killers. Israel is on the front line… If She capitulates …. so goes the world. The Muslims win…. The time of destruction will be upon us.

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